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Eric Elliott earns first Modified win at Boone

Staff Reports

Boone News-Republican

The Boone Speedway was back in action Saturday night. There were first-time winners in the Modified, SportMod and Mod Lite divisions. The Stock Car winner repeated his win from last week, and in the Hobby Stocks, a driver picked up his third win of the season.

Joel Keenan led lap one of the Mod Lite 15-lap event only to have Charlie Brown snatch it away at lap two. Brown cruised along in the lead until lap seven, when he slipped over the cushion of turn two and slammed into the retaining wall, ending his night. Keenan was back at the point position on the restart and retained it the rest of the way to the checkers, scoring the win. Terry Brown finished just ahead of Mike Kennedy for second. Point leader James May came home in fourth, and Bryan Zehm was fifth. This was Keenan’s first win at the Speedway in 2014.

The 18-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature saw veteran racer Brian Efkamp lead from the drop of the green, trying to keep Tim Love and Doug Smith at-bay. Doug Smith worked the low side of the track and made the pass for the lead at lap nine, never to relinquish it. Love finished a distant second. Johnathon Logue came from ninth to finish in third. Brian Efkamp hung to the front and finished fourth, and Bill Wears was fifth. Smith won for the first time at Boone this season.

The Hobby Stock feature was next. David Rieks grabbed the lead from Dustin Graham at lap eight, and Andrew Burg was soon to follow into second place. The latter portion of the race saw 12th-place starter John Watson make a surge up to third. The final lap was a fight to the finish line, Watson took the win by a nose with Rieks getting the runner-up spot. Andrew Burg finished third. Graham fell to fourth, and Seth Janssen completed the top five. Watson chalked up his third win of the season.

Randy Havlik took the lead away from Joel Bushore at lap four of the Modified feature, and rookie to the class, Eric Elliott, soon followed him into second. Havlik had bad luck when his car experienced issues, and he had to exit into the infield, handing the lead over to Elliott. Elliott kept the coveted point spot the rest of the way to the win. Russ Dickerson started ninth and came away with the runner up spot, holding off Jimmy Gustin, who started 13th and finished third. Kyle Brown started17th and worked through traffic for a fourth-place finish, and Newton’s Mike VanGenderen completed the top five. Elliott scored his first ever Modified victory at Boone after having a very successful run in the SportMod class the last couple of years.

It was back-to-back wins for Trent Murphy in the Stock Car feature. Murphy started eighth and was leading by lap four. His substantial lead was cut at lap 10 when a caution flag flew. Donavon Smith worked his way into second from his fifth row starting spot. Murphy, however, was not about to relinquish that top spot, keeping it to the checkers and the win. Smith finished in second, a comfortable distance ahead of third-place Jerry Gifford who started in row nine. Jay Schmidt continues to hold down the point lead with a fourth-place finish, and Mike Goldsberry rounded out the top five.

Racing continues Saturday night when it will be Little League night. Hot laps are 6:45 p.m. and racing at 7:30 p.m.